Carrier and method

ABSTRACT

A carrier is provided with vertical support panels, each with a receptacle extending outwardly from its lower region. The vertical support panels are hinged together at their side-edges so that they can be folded together for forming a handle structure to carry the carrier and its contents, and swung apart to expose advertising copy, promotional items and/or books. The motion used is like that used in opening a book, and is very comfortable for the user.

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 10/215,938 filed Aug. 9, 2002; Ser. No. 10/662,265, filed Sep. 15, 2003; Ser. No. 10/737,612 filed on Dec. 16, 2003; Ser. No. 10/939,264 filed on Sep. 10, 2004, Ser. No. 11/012,440 filed on Dec. 15, 2004, Ser. No. 11/012,789, filed Dec. 15, 2004, Ser. No. 11/301,913, filed Dec. 13, 2005, Ser. No. 11/301,407, filed Dec. 13, 2005, Ser. No. 11/345,898, filed Feb. 2, 2006, and Ser. No. 11/443,962, filed May 30, 2006. The disclosures of those patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

This invention relates to carriers for beverages, food, liquids in containers and other objects, and to methods of making and using such carriers.

In the above-identified prior patent applications are disclosed a number of different general-purpose carriers, and other carriers which are highly advantageous for use in carrying beverages, e.g., in “six packs” of bottles containing soft drinks, beer, etc. Other carriers are specially adapted for use in carrying both beverage cups and solid foods in sports arenas, fast-food restaurants, etc. The disclosures of those carriers hereby is incorporated herein by reference.

Although those carriers are highly advantageous, improvements are desired in order to reduce their manufacturing costs.

In addition, although the carriers described in the above-identified patent applications are advantageous in the amount of advertising space presented on the outside and other areas of the carrier, it is desired to improve the accessibility to advertising spaces provided in some of the above carriers.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a carrier construction and blank, and a method of making such a carrier in which the manufacturing cost is significantly reduced.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a carrier which is relatively strong and capacious, and relatively easy to unfold.

It is another object to provide such a carrier that stands upright and open when being loaded, provides substantial areas on which advertising can be located, and can be used with relative safety and reliability to carry cumbersome objects with a minimum of spillage.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are satisfied by providing a carrier with vertical support panels, each with a receptacle extending outwardly from its lower region. The carrier is made from blanks in which foldable panels are arranged in linear arrays. In the blanks, the vertical support panels can be folded and bonded to one another back-to-back.

This facilitates the relatively close nesting of blanks on a sheet of material and thus reduces the amount of sheet material occupied by each blank and aids in reducing manufacturing costs.

Preferably, the side wall panels and vertical support panels are foldable relative to one another along lines perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the array, and shorter flanges forming the bottom structures of the receptacles are foldable along lines parallel to the longitudinal axes.

This facilitates both nesting and automatic folding to form finished, folded carriers.

It also is preferable that all of the fold lines parallel to the axes are located along one edge of the blank to facilitate folding by use of automatic folding equipment.

In one specific embodiment of the invention, there is provided a carrier blank comprising a sheet of material shaped to form a linear array of parts, said parts comprising first and second vertical support panels, a first group of foldably interconnected side wall panels foldable to form a side wall structure for a first receptacle to be secured to one of said vertical support panels, and a second group of foldably interconnected side wall panels foldable to form a side wall structure for a second receptacle to be secured to the other of said vertical support panels, and flanges extending from said side walls and said vertical support panels and being foldable to form bottom wall structures for said receptacles, said vertical support panels being foldable to be secured together back-to-back.

In another embodiment of the invention, a carrier and blank are provided in which the two vertical support panels are hinged together along one side edge and are not glued together so that they can be swung apart to see advertising, promotional gifts, books or booklets, and other material printed on or secured to the inside surfaces of the vertical support panels.

This increases the advertising space available and makes it relatively easy for the user to gain access to the advertising. It is particularly advantageous in that the two halves of the carrier open like a book, thus facilitating securing a booklet or book to the surfaces for reading, drawing, or other such purposes.

In other respects, the invention comprises the additional features of the various different carriers disclosed in the above-identified pending patent applications whose disclosures are incorporated by reference into this patent application.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from or set forth in the following description and drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a carrier constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, partially broken-away view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view, also partially broken away, of the carrier of FIG. 1 with a food carrying tray mounted thereon;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view, also partially broken away, of a structure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view, also partially broken away, of the structure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the carrier shown in FIGS. 1-5 in a partially collapsed condition;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps in a typical manufacturing process used to manufacture the carriers shown in FIGS. 1-6 and elsewhere herein;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a pair of nested blanks used for making the carrier of FIGS. 1-6;

FIGS. 9-11 are views of one of the blanks shown in FIG. 8 at various stages of the process of manufacturing the carrier;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative food-carrying tray which can be used instead of the tray shown in FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view, partially broke away, of a 6-pack carrier constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional, partially broken-away view taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the carrier shown in FIG. 13, with the portion partially collapsed;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a pair of nested blanks used to make the carrier shown in FIGS. 13-15;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another carrier constructed in accordance with the present invention, this carrier being adapted to have two carrying compartments instead of the four compartments of the carrier shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a blank used to manufacture the carrier shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a pair of nested blanks of an alternative form used to make a carrier like the carrier of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the carrier shown in FIG. 17, with the carrier partially collapsed;

FIG. 21 is a front elevation view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of a blank used to make another embodiment of the carrier of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a plan view of a partially folded carrier of the type shown in FIG. 23, with the rear surfaces of the folded blank in front; and

FIG. 25 is a plan view of another version of the carrier shown in FIG. 24, with other materials secured to the rear surfaces of the vertical panels.

Four-Compartment Carrier

FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 8 show a general-purpose four-compartment carrier 20 with a locking bottom structure. The four compartments or receptacles can hold beverage cups, cans or bottles and a variety of other types of objects, such as potted plants, cans of motor oil or fuel additive, etc.

FIGS. 7-11 show a preferred method of manufacturing the carrier 20, as well as other carriers described herein, and FIGS. 3-5 show a top tray accessory for carrying food or other items above the items in the four compartments of the FIG. 1 carrier.

The carrier 20 includes a central support structure 22 including two vertical support panels 23 and 25 glued or otherwise bonded together. The central support structure 22 has an upper edge 30 and a hand-hole 28 below the upper edge 30, with a foldable hand guard 32.

The upper portion of the central support structure 22 has a front surface panel 24 and a rear surface panel 26, which are bonded, respectively, to the upper areas of the panels 23 and 25, thus forming a four-ply handle structure.

A receptacle structure extends outwardly from each of the two vertical support panels 23 and 25. One receptacle 27 includes a panel folded to form the side walls 34, 36, and 38 and secured at one end to the panel 23 by a flange 46 extending from the left edge of the panel 23 and bonded to the panel 34.

Similarly, a second receptacle 29 on the opposite side of the carrier is formed by side walls 40, 42 and 44, with a flange 48 extending from the left edge of panel 25 bonded to the panel 44.

Each of the two receptacles has a bottom structure 50 or 52 including a hinged locking panel 64 or 70 which extends completely across the bottom structure (see FIG. 2) and has a locking tab 66 or 72 extending from its outermost edge. The tabs 66 and 72 fit into slots 68 or 74 at the bottom of the vertical support panel 23 or 25, as it is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2.

Now referring to FIG. 2, as well as to FIG. 6, each of the receptacles has a bottom support structure like most of the embodiments of the invention described in the above-identified pending patent applications, and other embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is a broken away cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1. The carrier shown in FIG. 1 is standing erect on a horizontal surface such as the surface 80 shown in FIG. 2. The carrier 20, which is folded and flattened when shipped, is shown in FIG. 1 after it has been unfolded by the simple operation to be described below.

Referring to FIG. 2, the bottom structure 50 of the left-hand receptacle 27 shown in FIG. 2 is in the position it normally takes immediately after the carrier has been unfolded and before any beverage containers or other objects have been placed in the receptacle, or before someone has pushed the panel 64 downwardly to insert the locking tab 66 into the slot 68.

The right-hand receptacle 29 is shown in FIG. 2 with a full beverage cup 54 in place. The full cup has pressed down upon the panel 70 and pressed the locking tab 72 into the slot 74.

The locking or top panels 64 and 70 are rectangular and are almost as long as the distance between side walls 34 and 38. The rectangular shape of the panels 64 and 70 thus advantageously holds the receptacles 27 and 29 open so that the carrier 20 will sit erect on a horizontal surface with the receptacles 27 and 29 open so that the carrier easily can be filled with beverage cups or other objects.

As it will become apparent from the discussion below, as the carrier 20 is opened, the bottom panels 64 and 70 are automatically pulled downwardly approximately to an angle such as that shown for the panel 64 in FIG. 2 by the interlocking bottom structure to be described below.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, the bottom structure 52 includes the broad locking panel 70 with its tab 72 which is hinged at the bottom of the side wall panel 42. Also, a panel 88 which extends approximately half way across the width of the receptacle 29 is hinged from the bottom edge of the vertical support panel 23.

A first corner structure includes a flange hinged to the bottom edge of the side panel 44 and consisting of a first portion 90 and a second portion 91, separated from one another by a fold line 93.

A second corner structure is located at the corner of the bottom structure which is opposite to the first corner structure. The second corner structure, which is hinged from the lower edge of the side wall panel 40, consists of a first portion 95 and a second portion 97 joined to the first portion 95 at a fold line 101.

The flange portion 91 is bonded to the top panel 70, and the flange portion 97 is bonded to the panel 88.

The other bottom structure 50 for the other receptacle 27 is not shown in FIG. 6, but it has corner flange structures 78, 76 and 103, 105 (FIG. 8), as well as the wide flange 64 and flange 84 which are attached together like the flanges of structure 52.

As the carrier is unfolded, the two corner flange structures pull downwardly on the panels 70 and 88 until they reach a position spaced somewhat upwardly from the bottom of the receptacle. Then, top panel 70 is pressed downwardly by hand or by the weight of an object being placed upon it to snap the lock tab into the slot to hold the bottom structure flat. The other bottom structure 50 unfolds in the same manner.

The corner structures and the overlapping long panels together form a very strong multi-ply bottom structure capable of holding substantial loads.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a first divider 56 with an end tab 58 adhered to the inner surface of the wall 36 divides the left-hand receptacle 27 into two compartments. Similarly, a second divider 60 with an end tab 62 bonded to the side wall 42 provides a divider for the right-hand receptacle 29.

In addition, gussets 51, 53, 47 and 49 are provided at the junctions between the side walls 38, 40, 34 and 44 and the vertical panel structure. These gussets, as well as the dividers, are optional. The gussets provide added strength for the carrier structure, if needed.

Auxiliary Tray

FIGS. 3-5 show an auxiliary tray 92 designed for use with the carrier 20. The tray is substantially the same as the trays shown in the above-identified patent applications.

The tray 92 has a bottom wall 104, and four upstanding side walls 94, 96, 98, and 99. The side walls 94 and 96 have triangular tabs 122 and 124, respectively (see FIG. 5), which are glued to the front and rear walls at the corners of the tray. The side walls are folded onto one another along fold lines such as lines 118 and 126 at the corners, and fold lines 100 and 102 so as to fold the tray flat for shipment and storage.

As it is shown in FIG. 5, the bottom wall 104 has an elongated slot 112 which is wider in the middle than at either end, and two end sections 114 and 116 which are perpendicular to the section 112. Thus, an “I”-shaped slot is formed in the bottom wall 104.

FIG. 3 is a broken-away side elevation view showing two beverage cups 107 and 108 in the carrier 20 and the tray 92 resting on top of the cups. It can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the gussets 47, 49, 51, and 53 extend upwardly through portions of the slots 114 and 116, while the central support structure 22 of the carrier extends upwardly through the slot 112.

If the gussets are not needed, then the slot can be simplified to be a single slot without end sections 114 and 116.

FIGS. 3 and 4 also show that the height of the beverage cups or other containers which might be present in the carrier 20 vary to a substantial degree. Thus, the tops of the cups 107 and 108 shown in FIG. 3 extend higher above the upper edge 106 of the side wall 42 of the carrier than do the tops of the cups 109 and 110 in FIG. 4. However, it is preferred that the tops of the beverage containers always be above the upper edge of the side walls of the carrier so that the containers are easily accessible to grasp them and remove them from the containers, and to minimize the amount of sheet material used in the carrier.

Manufacturing Method

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing steps typically taken in manufacturing carriers in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows two blanks 136 and 138 which are to be folded and glued to form two finished carriers.

Referring first to FIG. 7, fiberboard material from a roll 128 is fed first to a printing station 130 where legends, logos, advertising material, etc., are printed on the areas of a wide sheet of fiberboard material in positions in which the carriers will be formed. Typically, the sheet material can be relatively wide, e.g., 50 inches or more, depending upon the capacity of the die cutting, folding and printing equipment used.

The printed sheet material next moves to a die cutting and scoring machine 132 which die cuts and scores the material to form blanks such as the blanks 136 and 138.

As it will be explained in greater detail below, because of the linear array of panels formed by the panels making up the blanks, several blanks can be “nested” side-by-side across the width of the sheet material so as to maximize the usage of material and help minimize the manufacturing cost of the carrier.

FIG. 8 shows two of the blanks 136 and 138 nested side-by-side with one another. In actuality, three or more such blanks can be nested side-by-side, but the other blanks are not shown in order to save space in the drawings.

At the station 132, the sheet material is die-cut and scored to form fold lines.

Finally, at station 134, each blank is automatically glued and folded to form a fully folded carrier, ready for packing and shipment, as it will be described in greater detail below.

Four-Compartment Blank Structure

Referring now to FIG. 8, part numbers have been shown on only one of the blanks, the blank 136, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and crowding of the drawing.

The blanks 136, 138, etc., form a linear array of panels extending in the direction indicated by the arrow 140 which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the array.

In general, the vertical support panels and side wall panels are joined together in series along fold lines perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the array, and the panels and flanges forming the bottom structures of the receptacles are joined to the vertical support panels and side wall panels along fold lines which are parallel to the longitudinal axis.

As it can be seen in FIG. 8, the panels 23 and 24 are separate from one another except that they are joined along a fold line 144. Similarly, panels 25 and 26 are separate but attached along the fold line 146.

The divider arms 56 and 60 are formed as cutouts from the material of panels 23 and 25, respectively, with hinges at fold lines 147 and 149.

All of the flaps or flanges forming the bottom structures for the two receptacles 27 and 29 are located along one edge of the linear array. This has the advantage of enabling automatic folding equipment for the bottoms to be located along only one edge of the blank as the flaps and flanges are folded. This can reduce equipment required and/or can speed the manufacturing process.

Folding and Gluing

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate the folding and gluing processes at various stages of completion.

First, as it is shown in FIG. 9, adhesive is applied to the upper surfaces of the panels 24 and 26, and the panel 24 is folded onto the panel 23 along line 144 and pressed to adhere it to the panel 23. Similarly, panel 26 is folded along line 146 onto the upper portion of panel 25 and adhered in place.

Also, each of the divider arms 56 and 60 is folded out from its original position, thus leaving an opening 154 or 156 in the panel 23 or 25.

Each of the panels 84, 64, 70 and 88 is folded upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 9.

Each of the corner flaps is folded twice, first upwardly along its upper edge, and then the flaps 105, 76, 90, and 95 are folded downwardly along the diagonal fold line of each of the corner structures.

Then, each of the end flanges 46 and 48 is folded over, the flange 46 to the right, and the flange 48 to the left.

Next, adhesive is applied to each of the flanges 46 and 48, 58, 105, 76, 90, 97, and 62.

Referring now to FIG. 10, next, the blank is folded along fold lines 150 and 148 shown in FIG. 9 to form the partially-folded blank 158 shown in FIG. 10, and the folded-over portions are pressed onto the portions below them so that the adhesive on the adhesive-coated surfaces adheres to each of the surfaces it touches. Thus, the pad 76 adheres to the flap 84, the pad 105 adheres to the flap 64, the pad 58 adheres to the middle of the panel 36, and the pad 62 adheres to the middle of panel 42. The flanges 46 and 48 adhere, respectively, to the right edge of panel 34 and the left edge of panel 44, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10.

Referring now to FIG. 11, next, adhesive is applied to the surfaces 23 and 25 shown in FIG. 10, and the blank is folded along the center line 152 and the halves are pressed together in order to bond the two vertical support panels 23 and together back-to-back, thus forming the folded carrier blank 160.

The use of linear arrays of panels to form the carrier structure is highly advantageous not only in that it allows for closer and more efficient nesting of the blanks, and produces corresponding material savings, but also in that more carriers can be produced per linear foot of sheet material, thus increasing production for a given speed of sheet material movement. This, of course, can further reduce manufacturing costs.

The finished folded carrier 160 shown in FIG. 11 is ready for packing and shipment to customers. The folded carrier 160 is advantageous in that it has a relatively small volume and thus provides savings in shipping containers and freight costs.

Unfolding the Carrier

When the folded carrier 160 it is removed from the carton to be used by the customer, the customer merely places one hand against the edge 152 and another against the edges 150, 148 of the blank and presses his or her hands together, applying pressure in the directions 162 and 164, and the folded-up carrier pops open to the position shown in FIG. 1.

The top tray 92 similarly can be folded and shipped to the customer, and can be unfolded quickly and easily for ready use.

Alternative Tray Structure

FIG. 12 shows an alternative tray structure for mounting on the handle structure of the carrier shown in FIGS. 1-11.

The tray structure 166 comprises a closable box having side walls 168, a bottom wall 182, and a top wall 170 which is hinged at one edge 172 to the side wall 168.

The box has a pair of slots 174 and 176, one in the top wall 170, and one in the bottom wall 182. Each slot is sized and shaped to received the vertical support structure 22 of the carrier 20 shown in FIG. 1. Each slot is covered by an adhesive strip 178 or 180 to protect the food inside the box until it is sold.

When the food is sold, the strips 178 and 180 are peeled off of the box, the vertical support panel 22 is inserted through the slots, and the food can be carried away with one hand, together with beverages in the carrier.

As it is disclosed in the above-identified patent application Ser. No. 10/939,264, such covered boxes can be used to carry hot or cold pizza pies, donuts, and other such items. The adhesive slot covers protect the food during storing, shipping, heating and handling prior to being used to deliver food to customers.

The box 166 is loaded with food at a processing location and is sent to remote distribution points, under refrigeration, if necessary. At the distribution points, the box can be heated to heat the food, if desired, the strips removed, the box placed on the carrier and carried away.

If an I-shaped slot in the box top and bottom like that shown in FIGS. 3-5 is needed, the adhesive strips would be shaped and sized to cover the entirety of each slot.

Packaged Beverage Carrier

FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 show a “packaged” beverage carrier, 190 constructed in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment, the carrier 190 is a six-pack carrier designed to hold six bottles of a soft drink, beer, water, or other beverage. It is of basically the same construction as the carrier 22 and others shown in the above-identified pending patent applications, but is specifically constructed so as to be easily filled by automatic filling equipment instead of by hand. The filled carriers then are shipped to stores.

The carrier 190 shown in FIG. 13 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1-11 also in that the carrier 190 is not as tall because there is no need for an auxiliary tray attachment, and because the carrier 190 is designed to have the same height. as existing carriers which it is intended to replace.

The carrier 190 includes a vertical support structure 192 with panels 194 and 196 bonded together back-to-back, and with a front panel 198 and a rear panel 200, a hand-hole 202 and a foldable hand guard 204. The upper edge of the vertical support structure is shown at 206.

Two receptacles 220 and 222 are provided, one extending from panel 194, and the other from the panel 196. The first receptacle 220 includes side walls 208, 210, and 212, and the second receptacle 222 has side walls 214, 216, and 218.

The side walls are secured to the vertical support structure by means of flanges 270 and 284 extending from the panels 194 and 196.

Two dividers 258 and 264 in each receptacle extend from the central support structure and are bonded to the side wall 210 or 216 by means of tabs 262 and 268. Each of the dividers has a downwardly-extending tapered lower portion 260 or 266 extending to near the bottom of the carrier in order to provide cushioning between adjacent bottles in the three compartments formed by the dividers to reduce the possibility of breakage of the bottles.

Referring now to FIG. 14, as well as FIG. 13, each of the two receptacles 220, 222 has a bottom structure 224 or 226 which is similar to one of the bottom structures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with one of the main differences being that the top panels 228 and 232 are hinged to the vertical support structure instead of to the side wall opposite the vertical support structure. Also, the top panel 228 or 232 of the bottom structure is tapered at its side edges 240.

The tapered edges 240 are provided to minimize interference between the parts of the bottom structure when the carrier is unfolded. Although this reduces the tendency of the top panel to hold the carrier open during filling, this is not very significant in that the carriers usually are filled automatically by filling machines which hold the carriers open during filling.

Each of the top panels 228 or 232 extends across the bottom structure and has a pair of tabs 230 or 234, each of which extends outwardly and projects through one of a pair of slots 236, 238 in the wall panels 210 and 216 of the carriers to lock the top panels in place.

The bottom structures 224 and 226 are quite similar in principle to the bottom structure of the receptacles in the carrier 220 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Thus, when a folded carrier is erected by pushing on opposed sides, the panel 228 or 232 is not depressed all the way down, but remains partially raised, similar to the bottom panel 64 shown in FIG. 2.

Then, when a full beverage bottle 286 is placed in one of the receptacles 220 or 222, the weight of the beverage and bottle presses the top panels downwardly so that the tabs 230 bend and then snap into the slots 236 and 238 so as to lock the top panel of the bottom structure in place. This construction, in combination with the remaining panels which support it, provides an exceptionally strong bottom which locks automatically, without the need of a separately-actuated latching structure such as that needed in manufacturing some prior carriers.

FIG. 15 shows a partially-collapsed bottom structure 226 for the receptacle 222 of the carrier 190 shown in FIG. 13. Two corner structures are provided. One has a flange 248 extending from the bottom edge of the side wall 214, with a tab 250 connected along the fold line 249 to the flange 248. The tab 250 is bonded to the broad top panel 232 of the bottom structure 226.

In a corner opposite the corner in which the first corner flange structure is located is a second flange structure including a flange 244 extending from the bottom edge of the side wall 218, with a tab 246 connected to the flange 244 along a fold line 251. The tab 246 is bonded to the flange 242 which extends from the bottom edge of the vertical support panel 196.

The corner flange structures operate -in substantially the same way as the corresponding structures shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 to pull the bottom panels downwardly from a folded-up position so as to unfold the receptacle structures. The other bottom structure 224 has corresponding parts, such as flanges 252, 254, 256, etc., and operates in the same way as the bottom structure 226.

Packaged Beverage Carrier Blank

FIG. 16 shows two linear arrays 288 and 290, each forming a blank to make a single carrier of the type shown in FIGS. 13-15.

Only two linear blanks 288 and 290 are shown in FIG. 16. They are nested together closely to maximize the efficiency of use of the sheet material. However, in a typical installation, up to four or more blanks can be nested across the sheet, thus illustrating the material savings provided by the invention.

The process of making the carrier 190 is substantially the same as that illustrated in FIGS. 7-11 above. The sheet material first is printed, then sent to a die cutting and scoring station, where the sheet is cut and scored to form the shapes and fold lines indicated in FIG. 16.

The various portions of the blanks shown in FIG. 16 then are folded and glued substantially as described above, except that there are two dividers such as the dividers 258 and 264 in each of the receptacles instead of only one.

After the panels 198 and 200 are glued onto the panels 194 and 196, respectively, the bottom flanges are folded and glued, as are the end flanges 270 and 284, and the blank is folded along lines 298 and 296, and finally along central line 294 to complete a folded carrier, ready for use.

The carrier 190, when folded, has substantially the shape shown in FIG. 11 of the drawings, but is somewhat smaller. The folded carrier occupies substantially less area than the typical prior art “sling-bottom” carrier it is intended to replace, thus providing savings in shipping cartons and freight costs when the carriers are shipped to the bottling plants in which they are used.

As with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-11, the manufacturing process is believed to be faster, as well as more economical in the use of materials. This is believed to produce significant cost savings in manufacturing the product.

Two-Compartment Carrier

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a two-compartment version 300 of the four-compartment carrier shown in FIGS. 1-11. The carrier 300 is essentially the same in construction as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-11, except it is only half as wide as the other carrier, and has only two compartments instead of four.

The carrier 300 has a vertical support structure 302 with vertical support panels 304 and 306, and panels 308 and 310 bonded to the upper surfaces of the vertical support panels. The vertical support panels 304 and 306 are bonded together back-to-back.

A hand hole 312 and hand guard 314 are provided.

Two receptacles are provided at 316 and 318. The first receptacle includes side walls 320, 322 and 324, and the second receptacle includes side walls 326, 327 and 328. The side wall structures are secured to the central support structure 302 by means of flanges 330 and 334 which are bonded to the inside surfaces of the side wall panels 324 and 326, respectively.

Gussets are provided at 370, 372, 347, and 378.

Two bottom structures 336 and 338 are provided. Each has a top panel 340 or 342 with a projecting tab 344 or 345 which extends through a slot 346 or 347 in side wall 322 or 327.

FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of a partially folded receptacle 318 showing the top panel 342, the opposing panel 351 (also see FIG. 18), and corner structures.

In one corner structure, a flange 360 extends from the bottom of the side wall panel 326 and has a tab 348 joined with it along a fold line 362. The tab 348 is bonded to the flange 351.

An opposing corner structure includes a flange 364 extending from the bottom edge of the side wall panel 328 and a tab 368 joined with the flange 364 along a fold line 366. The tab 368 is bonded to the flange 342. The other bottom structure has corner structures with a flange 361 with tab 365 and fold line 363, and flange 353 with tab 359 and old line 355, as well as flange 349.

The foregoing bottom structures automatically pull down the bottom panels of each of the receptacles, substantially as described above in connection with the four-compartment embodiment.

The bottom of each receptacle, when fully opened, is approximately square.

A beverage cup 380 is shown in place inside the receptacle 316 in FIG. 17.

Ganged Carriers

FIGS. 21 and 22 are, respectively, a side elevation view and a front elevation view of a modification of the invention shown in FIGS. 17-20 in which a single tray 408 which is wide enough to receive the handles of two separate two-cup carriers 390 and 392 is provided so that two of the two-compartment carriers can be ganged together and carried with one hand by means of the handle holes 394 and 396. The tray is shown atop three beverage cups 398, 400, and 406. The lower portion of each of the two separate carriers is shown at 402 and 404.

If preferred, a single shorter tray can be used with only one of the carriers shown in FIG. 17. Alternatively, a wider tray can be used which fits onto both of the four-compartment carrier and the two-compartment carrier.

Two-Compartment Carrier Blank

FIG. 18 shows an array 382 of panels of a linear blank used to make the carrier shown in FIG. 17. The printing, die cutting and scoring, and folding and gluing steps are substantially the same as shown above for the four-cup carrier and the packaged beverage carrier, and will not be repeated here.

The blanks 382 are nested on a sheet of material substantially in the manner shown in FIG. 19; that is, with alternate blanks inverted relative to one another. In this manner, the usage of sheet material is minimized.

FIG. 19 shows a pair of modified blanks 384 and 386 which are the same as blank 382 shown in FIG. 18, except that the gussets 370 and 372 (as well as gussets 374 and 378) are omitted from the blanks 384 and 386. This allows the blanks to be nested even closer together, thus further reducing the usage of sheet material.

Side-Opening Hinged Carrier

In accordance with another feature of the invention, a carrier is provided in which the vertical support panels are not glued together, but are hinged together so that they can be swung apart to access advertising, booklets or promotional materials and the like located on the inside surfaces of the vertical support panels. This increases the amount of surface area available for advertising and promotion, and complements the provision of similar carriers described in some of the above-identified patent applications in which the vertical support panels are hinged at the top to swing apart and expose internal advertising space.

One embodiment of the invention actually is shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings, in which the vertical support panels 23 and 25 have been folded over and glued in place with one edge of each in close proximity to the edge of the other at 152. Thus, by simply eliminating the last gluing and folding step, a side-opening hinged carrier structure is provided. The advertising material, promotional material, etc., can be placed on the surfaces of the vertical support panels 23 and 25 shown in FIG. 10.

A further embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 23-25. The embodiment shown is a two-cup carrier, but can be a four-cup, six-pack or other size carrier.

Two vertical support panels 422 and 424 are provided, with reinforcement panels 460 and 462 already glued in place. The panels 422 and 424 are integrally hinged together along the line 434, which is a fold line in the blank.

The blank shown in FIG. 23 has side wall panels 440, 442, 444, 446, 448, and 450. The panels 440, 442, 444 are secured together in series to form another group, and the group is connected at the left edge 438 of the panel 424. A gluing flange 452 extends from the left edge of panel 440.

Panels 446, 448, and 450 are secured together in series to form another group, and the group is attached to the right edge 436 of the panel 422. A glue flange 454 extends from the right edge of panel 450.

When the blank is glued and folded over, the side walls of two receptacles are formed when the flange 452 is glued to the area indicated by dashed line 456, and the flange 454 is glued to the area 458, also indicated-by dashed lines.

The bottom structure of the carrier is the same as others described above. Triangular bottom flanges 464, 472, 490, and 498 extend from the bottom edges of the panels 440, 444, 446, and 450, respectively. Each of those triangular flanges has a truncated triangular glue tab 468, 476, 494, or 502 hinged to it along a diagonal fold line 466, 474, 492, or 500.

Relatively narrow flanges 470 and 496 extend from the lower edges of the panels 442 and 448, respectively.

Wide panels 478 and 480 extend, respectively, from the lower edges 432, 430 or panels 424 and 422.

Each wide panel has a tab 482 or 488 extending outwardly from its most remote edge, and another tab 484 or 486 extending from a side edge.

The tabs 482 and 488 fit into slots 504 and 506, respectively.

Slots 508, 510, and 512 are provided in the panel 440, and corresponding slots 514, 516, and 518 are formed in the panel 450 for intercepting the tabs 484 and 486 during their descent while the carrier is being unfolded, so as to hold the carrier receptacles open for filling, as described in greater detail above and in prior patent applications mentioned above.

The glue tab 468 is glued to the adjacent flange 470; the glue tab 476 is glued to the flange 478; tab 494 is glued to flange 480; and tab 502 is glued to flange 496, so as to form an automatic-opening pair of bottom structures for the receptacles of the carrier.

Folds are made along the fold lines marked “F” in FIG. 23.

FIG. 24 shows the carrier after it has been glued and folded and turned over so that the rear sides of the vertical support panels 422 and 424 are facing upwardly.

As it can be seen in FIG. 24, the rear surfaces of the vertical support panels 528 and 530 bear printed advertising or other printed information 532, as well as promotional materials 534, such as printed cards, CD records, etc. Thus, when the beverages carried in the carrier have been removed, the carrier can be opened like a book and read in the convenience of a seat in which the customer sits while perusing the materials attached to the backs of panels 422 and 424.

FIG. 25 shows an alternative display on the backs 528 and 530 of the vertical support panels. A multi-page booklet or book 536 is secured to the surfaces of the panels 528 and 530, with the spine 538 of the book aligned with the hinge 434 between the vertical panels. Thus, the booklet or book can be read by the person opening the carrier, and it can be removed by pulling on it so that the booklet can be kept and the carrier discarded, if that is the user's pleasure.

The carrier support panels can be swung to form a single handle structure for carrying the carrier and its contents and can be swung apart for access the advertising, etc. inside.

As it can be seen the side-opening carrier offers a very convenient format for display advertising, games and promotional materials. This is very attractive, both to advertisers and to users of the carrier.

Materials

The materials of which the carrier of the present invention can be made need not be expensive. Ordinary, medium-weight fiberboard is believed to be sufficient for most purposes. For example, it can be 0.20 S.U.S. recycled newspaper material. If waterproofing beyond the acrylic coating provided on such board is necessary, a further waterproof coating can be applied on both the inside and outside surfaces.

It is within the realm of the invention also to make the carriers out of flexible plastic materials.

If desired, the carriers can be made of plastic materials that are easily washable so that the carriers can be reused.

Bonding

Bonding of parts to one another can be done by means other than adhesives. For example, plastic or plastic coated parts can be bonded together by ultrasonic or heat bonding. Staples or other mechanical fasteners also can be used.

It can be seen from the foregoing that the invention well satisfies the objectives set forth above. The carrier construction which permits the blanks to be made in linear arrays permits better nesting of the blanks on a sheet of fiber board material, thus providing significant savings in the use of materials in the carriers.

Additionally, it is believed that the speed of the automatic manufacturing of the carriers can be increased, and the manufacturing cost correspondingly decreased. Additional savings in the complexity of some of the folding machinery needed also may be realized.

The side-opening hinged carrier provides an improvement in the advertising space available on the carrier and in the convenience and comfort of using it.

The above description of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes or modifications in the embodiments described may occur to those skilled in the art. These can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. 

1. A carrier comprising: (a) a pair of support panels, each having side edges and upper and lower transverse end edges, (b) a pair of foldable receptacles, each secured to and extending outwardly from one of said support panels, when said carrier is unfolded, (c) each of said receptacles having three side walls connected along fold lines to one another and to one of said side edges of one of said support panels in series to form two groups of interconnected panels, (d) each of said receptacles having a bottom wall formed by a flange extending from said lower end edge of one of said support panels and the lower edge of each of said side walls in each of said groups, each of two opposite ones of said flanges in each of said groups being secured to an adjacent one of said flanges to form an automatically unfolding bottom structure for each of said receptacles, (e) said support panels being hinged together along one of said side edges of each, whereby the user of said carrier can select between bringing said support panels together and pivoting said support panels apart.
 2. A carrier as in claim 1 in which each of said two flanges has a first section secured to said lower edge of said side wall, and a second section attached to said first section along a diagonal fold line, said second section being secured to said adjacent flange.
 3. A carrier as in claim 1 in which said groups are connected together in series with said support panels connected at opposite ends of the resulting structure, each of said support panels being folded over and secured to other panels in its group, with said one side edge of each of said support panels being adjacent the other.
 4. A carrier as in claim 3 in which said groups are connected together along a central fold line at one edge of one of said side wall panels of each group, and said central fold line forms the hinge line between said support panels.
 5. A carrier as in claim 1 in which said groups are connected together in series with said support panels being joined together integrally along a fold line, with the remaining side wall panels in each group extending outwardly from the side edge of each support panel opposite said one side edge.
 6. A carrier as in claim 1 including a handle structure adjacent said upper end edge of each of said support panels.
 7. A carrier as in claim 1 in which the surfaces of said support panels which abut one another when said support panels are swung together bear information in a form selected from the group consisting of graphic matter printed on at least one of said surfaces; a flat record releasably secured to at least one of said surfaces; and a multi-page booklet secured to said surfaces with its spine closely adjacent said fold line between said support panels.
 8. A method of making a carrier comprising (a) providing a blank forming (i) a pair of support panels, each having side edges and upper and lower transverse end edges, (ii) first and second linear groups of side-wall panels joined together and to said support panels to form a long series of connected panels for forming two separate receptacles, each connected to and extending from one of said support panels when said carrier is unfolded, (iii) a plurality of flanges, each flange extending from said lower end edge of one of said support panels and the lower edge of each of said side wall panels in each of said groups, (iv) each of two opposed ones of said flanges in each of said groups being secured to an adjacent one of said flanges, and including the steps of (b) folding and gluing said flanges to one another to form said receptacles, folded flat, with one of said side edges of each of said support panels closing adjacent the other with a hinge attaching them together and said support panels otherwise being disconnected from one another, whereby the user of said carrier can select between having said support panels together and having said support panels apart,
 9. A method as in claim 8 in which said support panels are connected together in said blank along one side wall of each of said support panels.
 10. A method as in claim 8 in which said support panels are connected at opposite ends of said long series and each has a glue flange extending along one of said side edges, and in which said folding and gluing includes folding each of said support panels over towards one another and adhering each of said glue flanges to one of a pair of side wall panels joined together at a fold line, said fold line serving as said hinge.
 11. A carrier blank comprising (a) a pair of support panels, each having side edges and upper and lower transverse end edges, (b) first and second linear groups of three side wall panels, each secured at one end to one of said side edges of one of said support panels, said side wall panels in each group being joined together in series along fold lines, and said groups being joined together with said support panels to form one long series of panels, (c) two groups of bottom flanges, one flange in each group extending from the lower edge of one of said side wall panels and one of said support panels in one of said side wall panel groups, (d) each of said bottom flange groups having two flanges positioned to be located at opposite sides of a bottom structure to be formed by unfolding said carrier, and being shaped to be secured to an adjacent flange along a diagonal fold line; (e) said support panels being located at positions selected from the group consisting of: at opposite ends of said long series; and in the middle of said long series, with said support panels being joined together along one of said side edges of each.
 12. A blank as in claim 11 in which each of said support panels has a handle structure adjacent its upper edge. 